Sun Wukong Enters the Dragon Palace, Easy to Invite the Monkey, Hard to Send Him Away

Deep in the ocean, in the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea.

The palace buildings were majestic and grand, with glazed tiles forming a golden expanse that shone brilliantly.

The tiles were inlaid with pearls, each one as lustrous as snow, illuminating the entire Dragon Palace as if it were daytime.

Twin dragons coiled atop the roof, forged entirely from gold, their scales gleaming as if they were rising through the clouds, ready to burst from the water at any moment.

The entire palace stretched for thousands of acres, incredibly luxurious.

Ao Guang secretly observed Sun Wukong, seeing him staring intently at the palace, his eyes wide with shock and excitement. He sneered inwardly:

As expected, he's just a village monkey who's never seen the world. He's probably dumbfounded by my Dragon Palace!

Little did he know, though Sun Wukong's eyes were fixed, his mind was already calculating at lightning speed.

"What a treasure, this Dragon Palace is even more magnificent than I imagined!"

"Just the luminous pearls used for lighting on these tiles must number in the millions. Old Sun will take them all, not leaving a single one!"

"And these golden dragon statues, so shiny, I'll take them back too!"

"Coral, luminous pearls, agate, gems... it's all mine, not leaving a thing behind, I'll move it all back to Flower-Fruit Mountain!"

The more Sun Wukong looked, the happier he became, and the faster his mind worked!

Ao Guang saw all this and mistook the monkey's awe for ignorance, believing he was simply stunned by the splendor of his Dragon Palace!

"Esteemed Immortal, please come this way. The banquet is ready," Ao Guang said with a smile.

"Certainly, certainly."

Sun Wukong cupped his hands, his monkey eyes darting around.

A feast of delicacies and fine wines was laid out, amber wine in jade cups, exuding a rich aroma, with dishes as beautiful as paintings.

The sound of zither music and chiming bells filled the air, like something from the Heavenly Palace.

"This Dragon Palace is so rich!"

"Even the tableware is made of gold, jade, and gemstones..."

Sun Wukong looked at the golden goblets and jade plates on the table, then suddenly slapped his forehead, muttering to himself:

No, all of this will be Old Sun's later! Old Sun's!

Take it all, leave nothing behind!

After a few rounds of drinks, Ao Guang, feigning generosity, clapped his hands and summoned a squad of soldiers, who carried in a Nine-Pronged Fork.

"Esteemed Immortal, this fork is forged from Nether Iron and is called the Nine-Pronged Fork. It weighs three thousand six hundred catties and is no ordinary weapon. If you like it, please take it."

Sun Wukong gave it a slight heft. It was just an ordinary Spirit Artifact. Though not particularly impressive, it would be suitable for the Red-Haired Macaque.

"Thank you, Dragon King."

Sun Wukong cupped his hands.

Seeing this, a flicker of joy crossed Ao Guang's eyes. This monkey was indeed an ignorant bumpkin. When he saw the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron later, wouldn't he be ecstatic?

Not long after, a Carp General led another group of soldiers, carrying a Sky-Splitting Halberd.

"This weapon is forged from Earth Fire essence, weighs seven thousand two hundred catties, and is indestructible!"

"If you like it, Esteemed Immortal, feel free to take it!"

Sun Wukong hefted it again. This one was slightly better, reaching the level of a low-grade Spirit Treasure, perfect for the Tong-armed Ape.

Seeing Sun Wukong accept two treasures, Ao Guang was extremely pleased, feeling that this monkey was ignorant and easily deceived. When he saw the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron later, he was sure to be amazed!

As the banquet drew to a close, Ao Guang finally revealed his ultimate goal:

"Esteemed Immortal, my Dragon Palace has another great treasure, hidden deep beneath the Nether Sea. It is not shown to ordinary guests. If you are interested, you may come and view it."

Sun Wukong's heart stirred, knowing this was about to be the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron!

Even though he knew this was a Saint's scheme, a Buddhist conspiracy, Sun Wukong didn't care at all.

He was going to turn against the Heavenly Court and Tathagata sooner or later anyway!

If there were good things, why not take them for free!

He immediately followed the old Dragon King deep into the sea, to an extremely profound depth. Before them lay a pitch-black iron pillar, hundreds of meters thick and a hundred thousand feet tall, firmly embedded in the eye of the sea.

Ao Guang said solemnly:

"Esteemed Immortal, please look. This is the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron used by the Human Emperor Yu when he controlled the waters. It was later forged in the crucible of the Grand Supreme Elder Lord for forty-nine days, and has been suppressing the Eastern Sea for tens of thousands of years, becoming a top-grade acquired Merit Spirit Treasure. It is now called the Ruyi Golden Cudgel and weighs thirteen thousand five hundred catties."

Ao Guang tried his best to promote it, fearing the monkey wouldn't recognize its value.

Sun Wukong circled the pillar, examining it closely. It looked ordinary and unremarkable. He muttered to himself:

This is it? I don't see anything special.

He reached out and lightly touched it.

Suddenly--

BOOM!

The dust from the iron pillar dispersed, and ten thousand feet of golden light surged out, instantly illuminating the seabed as if it were day.

Characters appeared on the black iron:

[Ruyi Golden Cudgel, weighs 13,500 jin]

"Hmm, pretty good, just too, too thick, too, too big."

As soon as Sun Wukong finished speaking, the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron actually shrunk and thinned accordingly.

"Shorter, thinner."

After he spoke, the great staff became shorter and thinner again!

"Thinner, shorter."

This repeated several times, until finally it transformed into an iron staff about a bowl's width and a zhang in length, quietly hovering before him.

"This staff can be big or small, thick or thin!"

"As I wish, extremely flexible!"

"Truly a good treasure, truly a good treasure!"

Sun Wukong chuckled, praising it several times, but didn't rush to take it.

This made Ao Guang, who was standing nearby, anxious, and he quickly urged, "Congratulations, esteemed immortal! This treasure is fated for you, please be sure to accept it!"

A playful smile spread across Sun Wukong's lips, and he narrowed his monkey eyes, saying, "A good monkey doesn't take what others love. Since this item is a supreme treasure of the Dragon Palace, how could Old Sun possibly take it? Since I've seen the treasure, Old Sun will be leaving now..."

Saying this, he turned to leave.

Ao Guang was greatly alarmed, and quickly grabbed his sleeve, saying urgently, "Esteemed immortal, wait! A treasure must match a hero. This divine iron is nothing more than scrap metal left in the Dragon Palace; only in your hands, esteemed immortal, can it truly shine!"

"Dragon King, you jest. Old Sun is not up to drinking today and needs to go back and rest!"

"Esteemed immortal is a peerless divine monkey. If you must go back, then take this iron staff with you!"

"Old Sun isn't a woman, what would I do with a staff?"

"If esteemed immortal doesn't need it, you can take it back for your wife!"

Deep in the seabed, a dragon and a monkey were pulling and tugging, one adamantly trying to give, the other adamantly refusing to take.

Ao Guang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Sun Wukong had happily accepted the two pieces of scrap metal earlier, so why was this monkey adamantly refusing the real treasure?

Could it be that this monkey had seen through something?

Ao Guang wore a pained expression and, steeling himself, said, "Esteemed immortal must take the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron today, no matter what."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's monkey eyes darted around, making the old Dragon King's heart crawl with unease, before he slowly said, "Ao Guang, Monkey Brother considers you a neighbor, yet you play tricks on Monkey Brother!"

"Old Dragon King, have you lived too long in peaceful times that you dare to scheme against Old Sun?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Ao Guang trembled all over, his dragon whiskers shaking non-stop: "What does esteemed immortal mean by that? How could this humble dragon dare to scheme against esteemed immortal?"

"Hmph!"

Sun Wukong let out a cold laugh, grabbed Ao Guang by the collar, and said menacingly, "Ao Guang, I even dared to kill two Bodhisattvas of Buddhism!"

"You're just a late Grand Unity Golden Immortal dragon, you think Old Sun can't kill you?"

As he spoke, Sun Wukong's mouth began to salivate: "Dragon meat at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level, Old Sun hasn't tasted it before!"

"Tell me, would it be better steamed? Or would braised be more delicious?"